A New Densetsu
by AhiFlame
Summary: Five years have passed since the Frontier kids had their adventure in the Digital World.  As a new evil arises seeking to claim the Digital World, the Warriors are called upon to find a new power and defend the Digital World...if they can.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Needless to say, I do not own anything except my OCs. I'm not making any money off this little endeavor, so please no suing._

_[a/n: This is a vastly revised repost of a story I wrote in July-September of 2003. While I have saved the original version for my own records, I felt the need to fix this story up in order to incorporate it into my 'portfolio'. (I didn't want to delete it entirely, though I'm sure that would have been much easier.) So, to new and previous readers, I bid you enjoy._

**Chapter One**

With a heavy sigh Takuya leaned back in his computer chair and ran a hand through his hair. _Bored, boring, bored, _he thought blandly as he stared at his computer screen. For several minutes he sat still, gazing at the rough rendering he had drawn and scanned long ago of the Digital World, whole and happy – the way he hoped it was in their absence. The image always triggered a sadness that was deep-seated in his soul despite the memories being five years old. Finally unable to look at it any longer, he closed the file and opened a chat window.

----------

Recovering from the most recent attack, Zephyrmon noticed the enormous black void that had appeared moments before. "What's that?" she asked nervously, her gaze now fixed on the looming darkness that was slowly growing.

Aldamon landed beside her. "I have no idea," he replied uncertainly, staring warily at the rift.

"Now foolish mortals, prepare to meet your doom," Lucemon snarled threateningly. "The Legendary spirits will be mine once and for all!"

Suddenly the vortex gleamed and bolts of black lightning shot out of it; each of the Warriors was struck. With screams of agony they dropped to the ground and de-spirit evolved.

Takuya weakly lifted his head off the ground, his own injuries forgotten in light of concern for his friends. His fear increased tenfold when he saw their darkened forms surrounded by their Fractal Codes. He turned to Zoe, who was nearest to him, and feebly tried to inch his way over to her. "Z-Zoe…" he choked as his strength gave out and he collapsed again. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he looked around at the others, hoping at least one of them had recovered. "No, guys, c'mon, wake up!"

"That was much too easy; I cannot believe that the Legendary Spirits chose such weak hosts. If all humans are this pathetic, conquering both worlds will be practically effortless. How marvelous."

Takuya started as Lucemon began moving toward the others. "No…no, take me instead!" he screamed, floundering unsteadily to his feet.

Takuya started and sat bolt upright, panting fearfully. Sweat dripped from his brow and his hair hung limply. His haunted hazel eyes scanned the darkness of the room, expecting some unknown foe to attack at any moment. Of course, all was silent and motionless. Takuya wearily ran a hand down his face and sighed, willing his pulse and breathing to return to normal.

Against his will his thoughts meandered back in time, back to the actual events of the final battle with Lucemon. Obviously something was bothering his subconscious and as Takuya strove to remember the time he spent in the Digital World, he realized that those memories had faded. Irritated now, Takuya sighed again and the sound was more of a growl. He was restless, looking for a fight. He had noticed that recently, and it troubled him, but he had no idea how to reverse it.

Takuya tossed the tangled sheets aside and stalked over to his closet. He dropped to his knees and began frantically pawing through his belongings, tossing miscellaneous items aside as they got in the way. Finally he happened upon his prize and sat back, holding the deactivated cell phone in his hand. His mouth curved into a disappointed line – for some reason he had expected, or hoped, that he would find his D-Tector in its place. He snorted quietly, shunning his ridiculous thoughts.

"Yea right, keep dreaming pal," Takuya muttered sourly to himself as he rose and paced back to his bed. He dropped the phone on his nightstand, curled up and went back to sleep.

----------

Takuya groaned and rolled over, fleeing the light filtering through the blinds in his room. The illumination was relentless, warming his back uncomfortably. _I thought I had closed those stupid things,_ Takuya thought irritably, attempting to bury his face in his pillow. Despite his best efforts the sunlight won out and he opened one eye to glare at the slanted patterns of light on the floor.

The alarm clock began screeching and Takuya snarled. With a swipe of his hand he knocked the device off the nightstand, unplugging it in the process. As he started to draw his hand back his fingers brushed against a smaller item and he froze. His quizzical gaze landed on the offending object and for a moment he was so surprised that he stopped breathing.

"My…my D-Tector," he gasped. Tentatively, wondering if he was dreaming, he picked the device up and ran his fingers over it gently. Tears pricked his eyes as the memories that had been so foggy cleared in his mind.

A sudden thought sobered his countenance: _What does this mean?_

Takuya shook his head; he had no idea. Clumsily he got to his feet, slipping the D-Tector beneath his pillow for safekeeping. At the moment he had bigger things to think about: lunch was being prepared.

The groggy teenager stepped out into the hallway and followed his nose to the kitchen where his mother was cooking eggs and bacon.

"It's about time you got up Takuya," his mother commented without moving her gaze from the stove. "I keep telling you that you're sleeping your life away but you never seem to take that to heart. I have to admit I'm disappointed."

Takuya rolled his eyes; this was an argument he'd heard over and over and was thoroughly sick of.

"I saw that," his mother snapped even though she was not looking at him.

Takuya couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he took his seat at the table. Shinya smirked across the table at him, happy that his brother was being yelled at yet again. Takuya stuck his tongue out at his younger brother.

"Takuya, would you set the table?"

Suppressing a sigh, Takuya rose and started toward the cabinets when he heard his brother snort in a failed attempt to keep from laughing.

"Shinya, you can lay out the silverware."

Immediately Shinya's amusement fled and he sullenly rose to do as his mother asked. It was Takuya's turn to smirk.

Lunch turned out to be a rather uneventful affair. Takuya and Shinya had a few verbal sparring matches that were gently but effectively extinguished by a comment from their mother. Takuya and Shinya were assigned the chore of cleaning the dishes, got into a fight with the soap suds, were reprimanded, and finished the task quickly. As soon as he could, Takuya snuck back to his room, closed and locked his door, and retrieved his D-Tector.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

The device was so familiar yet so foreign to him; it was amazing what time could make one forget. Takuya's finger hovered over the buttons, unsure what sequence to press. He hesitated a moment, casting a wary glance around his room though he knew he was alone.

"Don't tell me you don't know what to do with that,"

Takuya stifled a yelp as he jumped, nearly dropping his D-Tector in the process. He fumbled to catch it and hastily shoved it behind his back as he twisted to face the voice. He had thought the sound had come from his closet but there was nothing out of the ordinary there – and certainly nothing that could speak. _Oh great, now I'm hallucinating,_ Takuya thought dryly to himself as he relaxed.

Takuya did yelp when paws settled on his shoulders and a small cat nose started sniffing at the back of his neck. When he pulled away the cat's claws left scratches, three on each shoulder. Takuya winced but still managed to meet the blue feline gaze squarely.

It took only a moment for the creature to register in his mind. "A Digimon," Takuya breathed warily, gripping his D-Tector tighter. The device projected an information screen and Takuya pointed it at the catlike Digimon. Unperturbed, the Digimon carefully began licking its claws.

"Leormon, a golden lion Digimon. While he can be mischievous at times, his intentions are generally good." Takuya was not comforted by the D-Tector's mechanical report.

"Alright, what are you doing here?" Takuya demanded, being careful to keep his voice low so he wouldn't be overheard.

Leormon stopped licking his paw and looked Takuya squarely in the eye. His icy gaze was unnerving but Takuya would not back down. "You are Takuya Kanbara, host of the legendary spirits of Flame, are you not?"

Takuya tensed. "How…do you know that?"

The large cat stretched as he answered. "The spirits leave a very distinct mark on their hosts, both scent- and energy-wise."

Takuya hesitated a moment before sniffing his arm. "I don't smell anything."

The cat chuckled, the sound a mewling growl. "Of course you cannot, you are human."

Takuya bristled. "Are you going to tell me what you're doing here or not?"

Leormon quirked his head before leaping off the bed and padding over to Takuya's closet, which seemed to have become an expressway while he wasn't looking. The Digimon disappeared inside for a moment before reappearing with Takuya's goggles clenched lightly in his jaws. Leormon dropped the goggles in Takuya's free hand and sat, regarding the human silently.

"Well?" Takuya prompted angrily. The cuts on his shoulders were stinging.

"Are you denying your role in this new quest?" Takuya stared at the large cat—lion, whatever—dumbly. "Put them on."

With a final rebellious glare at the Digimon Takuya complied, slipping the goggles into place. Without his hat it felt strange, but he could manage; he had no idea where that hat had gotten to anyway.

Leormon smiled, revealing frighteningly sharp canines. "Excellent." Seemingly having completed his task, the Digimon started prowling around Takuya's room, sniffing at the occasional discarded item.

Takuya watched the cat in irritation. "Alright, what do you want?" he demanded again.

"I had thought you would call them. The Digital World needs its protectors once more."

Takuya's mouth flattened into an angry line and his cheeks colored slightly. "I…don't recall how."

Leormon sighed heavily as if Takuya's obliviousness tired him. He pounced up onto the bed and sat next to Takuya who unconsciously shifted away as best he could. The cat lifted his paw and tapped in a partial sequence on Takuya's D-Tector with a long claw. "Remember now?"

Takuya gritted his teeth; the cat's condescending tone was really getting to him. "Yeah…thanks," he growled, finishing out the sequence. Silently he wished that the lion would move away, for not only was his close presence unnerving but the purring and fish-scented breath was overwhelming.

The ancient symbol of Light faded into view on the D-Tector's screen and Takuya swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. Five years was a long time…would Koji even remember him? "H-hey, Koji? You there?" he ventured sheepishly. He let several moments of awkwardness pass but received no response – not even the shuffling of items sounded on the other end that would indicate a search.

Takuya felt the uneasiness drain out of him as he realized Koji was not likely to answer. Leormon's hot breath on his neck bothered him and he inched away from the large cat. "Koji?" he asked again, more boldly this time. Silence was again his only answer and Takuya let out a quiet sigh, moving to terminate the link.

"Who is this?" a guarded voice asked over the link.

Takuya smiled faintly, recognizing Koji's voice instantly. The moment was slightly ruined by the blue-eyed Digimon practically sitting on him and Takuya turned so his back was to Leormon. "Hey buddy!"

"…Takuya?"

Takuya grinned, forgetting Leormon's intrusive presence. "Guessed right."

"Wow, it's been awhile, hasn't it? So much for that 'friends forever' nonsense."

Takuya's mood sobered. "But…we're still friends. We're just a little spread out now…right?"

"When was the last time you talked with any of us?" Koji parried.

Takuya paused a moment, thinking. After they had returned from the Digital World they'd been together almost daily but as a year passed, and then another, the group had started to dissolve. Koji and Koichi had kept more to themselves, trying to make up for lost time with their broken family. JP expanded his friend base and started drifting; Tommy, likewise, opted to be around friends his age. Three years ago Zoe had headed back to Italy to study there for the year…when she returned they never did pick up where they had left off. Takuya sighed. "It's been quite awhile I guess," he answered quietly, unable to keep the sadness from his voice.

"Unfortunately that's the way things go. Even with friendships as strong as ours were." Koji paused, letting his words sink in. "Eh, I'm sorry. It's great to hear from you again – what's the occasion?"

"Well, it's a long story that I'd really prefer to have to explain only once so I thought we should all get together," Takuya answered evasively. He jumped when Leormon's chin came to rest on his shoulder. Placing a hand over his D-Tector, Takuya ground out: "Will you get off me?"

Apparently he had missed covering the microphone. "Who are you talking to?" Koji asked in an amused tone.

Takuya reddened, caught between anger and embarrassment. "N-no one." Leormon pulled himself up onto Takuya's shoulder, causing the teen to almost collapse under the weight. "Gah! I'll explain later. I trust I can trust you to tell Koichi about this?"

"Of course, he's right here," Koji said lightly, leaning back in his computer chair and nodding to his brother even though there was no way Takuya could see the gesture.

Koichi made a peace sign. "Hi Takuya," he called across the room.

"Hey Koichi!" Takuya's somewhat strained voice called back. There was a loud _thud_ on Takuya's end of the line and a loud purring sound. "Ah! _Get off!_" Takuya yelled angrily before the link closed.

Koji quirked an eyebrow at Koichi before placing his D-Tector on his desk. "Well that was interesting."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Alright kitty, what's the big idea?" Takuya demanded irritably, pulling himself off the floor.

"My, but you do seem to be weak for a Warrior," Leormon commented dryly before turning to smooth the hair on his back down.

Takuya snorted. "I'm not a jungle gym," he retorted hotly.

"At least you have a temperament to match your element." Leormon looked up and met Takuya's gaze, effectively cutting off his rebuff. "Now then, you need to speed it up; my business here is urgent."

"Coulda fooled me," Takuya grumbled as he settled back on the edge of his bed. He caught Leormon's gaze as the cat tensed to jump. "Stay down there." Much to his surprise the Digimon did as told, though not happily. Takuya punched in another sequence on his D-Tector and went through essentially the same process with Tommy, save that the conversation was lighter. The same pattern passed with JP and then Takuya paused. Zoe was the last one.

A hint of uneasiness began twisting in Takuya's gut – it had been so long and so many unspoken feelings were between them. He had no way of knowing if she felt the same way though he hoped she did.

"What are you waiting for?" Leormon questioned uninterestedly.

Takuya cast a glare at the Digimon, who took no note of it. Seeing no way out of it, Takuya punched in yet another sequence on his D-Tector. He swallowed, gathering his courage. "Uh, hey, Z, you there?"

Zoe's head jerked up at the voice. Her gaze shot to her doorway but found it empty. Her brow furrowed. The computer speakers were muted, her phone was off and no one else was home, so where had the sound come from? Tense, she turned back to her book.

"Zoe?"

She yelped and fumbled with her book. That voice was _so_ familiar…it sent tingles down her spine…yet she could not for the life of her place it.

"Zoe, answer please…it's Takuya."

_Takuya!_ Zoe leapt to her feet and bolted for her closet. _Where did I put it?!_ She thought, frantically pawing through her belongings. She paused when she heard Takuya's disappointed sigh.

"No, Takuya, wait, I'm here!" She shoved aside a duffle bag and some shoes and uncovered her prize. The screen was dark, but it was her D-Tector alright. Zoe growled, annoyed with herself. Annoyed she had not found it in time, annoyed she had not recognized Takuya's voice, annoyed that she had forgotten how to use the device to contact him. _Please call back_, Zoe thought, staring at the D-Tector as if her thoughts would bring it to life. Of course nothing happened.

Quirking her mouth into a determined line Zoe began hesitantly pushing buttons, hoping she'd remember the sequence. She started when the symbol of Light appeared on the screen. "Um…Koji?"

"Zoe? You too, huh?"

Zoe blushed. "Well, I was actually trying to get in touch with Takuya…I just missed his call."

Koji chuckled good-naturedly. "Alright, I'll let him know. Don't miss him this time." The link closed and her D-Tector's screen went dark. Zoe sighed and sank into her computer chair, waiting.

"The day just keeps getting more interesting," Koji commented lightly to his brother as he punched in a sequence on his D-Tector. It took a moment for the connection to load and for the symbol of Flame to light on the screen. "Takuya, you there?"

"Miss me already Koji?" Takuya's voice teased over the line.

Koji's mouth fell into an annoyed line. "No, I'm just playing dispatcher. Zoe contacted me – apparently she's forgotten how to get a hold of you directly. Call her back." Without waiting for a reply Koji terminated the link.

Takuya glared at his D-Tector. "That guy really needs to get a sense of humor." He felt Leormon's gaze on him from across the room and tapped in Zoe's sequence on his D-Tector before the cat could snap at him. His shoulders still hurt.

"Hey Zoeeeee," Takuya's voice called in an annoying sing-song tone.

Zoe couldn't contain her smile as she looked at the symbol of Flame glowing on her D-Tector screen. She'd missed him, though she only now realized it. "Hi Takuya," she answered, doing her best to keep her voice neutral.

"Hey Z, long story short, the gang's getting together tomorrow. You in?"

"Well that's a little mysterious," Zoe commented lightly.

"Nah, nothing mysterious about a picnic and day at our favorite beach!"

"Where'd this idea come from?"

"I'll…explain later," he growled. "See you tomorrow!" Before she could reply he'd closed the link.

Zoe flopped back against the chair's backrest with a sigh. Typical Takuya. Her eyes wandered over to the closet. What would she wear?

----------

Takuya parked his flame red convertible and exhaled deeply. He had known these people so well and yet he was terrified to see them all again. But in a good way. He glanced at the rearview mirror in time to see a teal car pull into the parking lot. Taking a deep breath he stepped out of his convertible just as the car was pulling in beside him. Takuya adjusted his sunglasses and ran a hand through his messy hair, stopping when his fingers brushed against his goggles. In an attempt to hide his discomfort, Takuya leaned against his car door and grinned as Zoe stepped out.

The sight of her took his breath away. Her blonde hair was a bit longer than he remembered and streaked with red. She wore casual attire – a purple belly shirt and torn blue jeans over her swimsuit. She pushed her sunglasses up to rest atop her head and smiled brightly at him.

"Hey Takuya, where are the others?"

He shrugged as nonchalantly as he could, trying to hide his gawking. "Not here yet I guess."

"Oh." She didn't sound entirely disappointed. She brushed a piece of wayward hair behind her ear and smiled again, more shyly this time. "I really missed you guys. I mean, my other friends are great and all, but we were just so close…it's a shame time's changed that."

"Only if we let it," Takuya remarked, his usual determination shining through.

Zoe's expression brightened at his words and she hastened around her car to meet him. Takuya caught her in an embrace and held in a sigh; the moment felt so right.

"Ahem,"

Takuya and Zoe jumped apart, both blushing. Koji and Koichi chuckled as they walked over. They really hadn't changed much. Both were taller, had the same hairstyles as before and were dressed in grays and blacks. Koji had discarded his bandana at some point in the past.

"What took you guys so long?" Takuya quipped.

"We're still waiting on two – technically we're not late," Koichi defended lightly.

"Only one now, where is the kid?"

The group spun to face JP as he approached nonchalantly. The bright sunlight made his gold t-shirt even more glaring to look at and Zoe was tempted to put her sunglasses back on.

"Hey JP!" Takuya greeted, going over and clapping the larger boy on the back.

"I'm here!" Tommy called as he sprinted toward the group. He pulled himself up short and regarded the others strangely. "Wow, you're all so different than what I remember."

"Look who's talking kid," JP retorted warmly. Like the rest of them Tommy had undergone a stark wardrobe change and was now clad in a brown t-shirt, green cargo pants and was missing his hat.

"Yea, you're the one who's grown a few feet," Koji joked, waving him over.

"I'd say Takuya's changed the most," Zoe commented wryly. All eyes turned questioningly on her. "He seems more mature."

A chorus of chuckles erupted from the group.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" the gogglehead demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Zoe replied lightly, waving a hand dismissively at him.

Takuya's mouth settled into an angry line. "Whatever, let's hit the beach!" he exclaimed, brightening up. "I've got drinks and stuff in the trunk."

As if on queue something thudded against the interior of the trunk, making the group jump. "Warrior of Flame, let me _out!!_" With another push the trunk popped open and a golden blur flew out and tackled Takuya.

"Takuya!" the group exclaimed worriedly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Arg, for crying out loud, Leormon, get _off!_" Takuya snapped, shoving the lion away. Indignantly he pulled himself off the ground and dusted his red shirt and torn black jeans.

Leormon righted himself as well and glared up at the teens. "You would think they'd never seen a Digimon before," he commented dryly to Takuya.

"Yea, well, not really used to seeing them here in the Real World," Takuya snarled quietly. "It's a rather unwanted surprise."

"I take it this is why you called us all together?" Koji asked coldly.

Takuya looked at him in confusion. "Hey, no need to get mad about it Koji."

"We did our service to the Digital World five years ago. And now when life is finally normal again we're being called back? No, I'm not going." Koji turned away, crossing his arms stubbornly.

Takuya's temper flared and he stepped closer to the rebel, fists clenched. "Look, I don't know what's going on. All I know is that this Digimon showed up in my room yesterday and all our phones have turned back into D-Tectors. Why don't you at least hear him out before turning into a jerk?"

Koji spun around, his anger plain on his features. "Takuya, I'm sick of fighting and if there's one thing I've learned it's that Digimon only interfere with our lives when fighting is sure to follow. Count me out."

Takuya glared at Koji's back as the other boy stalked away. "Fine, run you coward!"

"What about you Koichi, are you with Koji?" JP asked quietly.

Koichi hesitated for a moment before he shook his head. "I'm on the fence right now. I'll stay and listen."

Takuya growled as he turned back to face the Digimon. "Alright, we're all here, what do you want?"

"Tsk, tsk, such harshness. You would do well to control that temper of yours, Warrior of Flame."

"My name's Takuya. And what do you expect? You're toying with us, keeping us in the dark. Realistically I could just Spirit Evolve and destroy you right now, solve the problem."

Leormon laughed. "You amuse me, human. Without me you do not have access to your Spirits and thus cannot do anything."

"Oh yeah?" Takuya snarled, picking the Digimon up and holding him at eye level.

"Takuya, knock it off,"

"Shut it JP. Either this kitty explains himself now or he gets a first class ticket back into his DigiEgg—_yeaow!_" Takuya yelped, recoiling from the blow and dropping the lion. Three large scratches stood out on the side of his face. One hand pressed to the scratches, Takuya turned a fiery gaze back on Leormon. With his other hand he pulled his D-Tector from his pocket and the screen glowed in preparation.

"Takuya, no!" Tommy exclaimed as he, Koichi and JP grabbed onto him with special attention to the arm that held his D-Tector.

Takuya let out a growling sigh. "Let me go!" he demanded, struggling futilely.

"Go ahead, let him go, he cannot harm me." Leormon's taunting words made Takuya struggle all the more and he managed to pull his hand holding the D-Tector free. Realizing they could no longer stop him, the others jumped away, not wanting to be caught in the cocoon of data as Takuya evolved.

"Execute…" Takuya froze, realizing nothing was happening. His D-Tector's screen still glowed, but it was empty. Takuya's brow furrowed and he looked to Leormon for an explanation.

"I told you that you cannot access your Spirits except through me," Leormon chided. Takuya bristled, but did not move to attack. "As for my purpose in being here, I am afraid the Warrior of Light was correct. A new evil has arisen and the Digital World needs the Warriors to defend it once again."

"But, how is that possible? We cleansed all of the Digital World's data so how can there be evil?" Zoe pondered aloud.

Leormon turned his icy gaze on her and all hints of joviality disappeared from his features. "Unfortunately all the cleansing in both worlds could not rid even one of all evil. Therefore it is essential to keep the scale tipped in the favor of good."

"Which herein means dragging us back into the thick of it?" JP asked, crossing his arms. He wasn't sure he liked the notion.

"Not only you Warriors. There are six more that were touched by Fate when Lucemon breached the barrier between the worlds. They are more powerful than you, but need your guidance to control that power. Otherwise it has the potential to destroy them."

"So you're saying they're oblivious to that power? How could they be?"

"To answer your question Warrior of Wind, the power lies dormant inside them, awaiting contact with a Legendary Spirit to awake. Therefore you must track down these Keepers of the Elements, awaken their power and lead them against the evil."

"That sounds like a pretty big job," Tommy commented.

"Who cares? The Digital World needs us. We won't let them down." Takuya broke in authoritatively, pumping a fist.

"I'm with Takuya; we can't just walk away from this. After all, we're Digimon!" Zoe added, stepping closer to the gogglehead.

"Yea," Koichi and Tommy agreed.

"JP?" Tommy asked.

JP avoided their eyes. "I wish I could, but I'm off to college soon…no way I have time for this."

Takuya growled and stepped toward the other. "JP!"

"Don't try to bully me into it Takuya."

Leormon hissed and jumped in front of JP as he started to leave. "Warrior of Thunder, you must not deny this task! Without your presence the Keeper of Thunder's power will never awaken and our chances of saving the Digital World will be greatly diminished."

"And JP, if we can't beat this evil who's to say it won't come after the Real World?" Takuya offered hotly. "We need your Spirits," he added more gently after a moment.

JP's mouth settled into a contemplative line and his brow furrowed. Several minutes of expectant silence passed. "Alright, I'll help you find this Keeper, but that's as far as I'm committing."


End file.
